Non-slipping polygonal wrench

ABSTRACT

A wrench having a plurality of sides is formed with a head at one end for insertion into a socket of a screw or bolt having a corresponding number of sides. A horizontally springy neck of the wrench is integral with a head and with a tip spaced axially from the head. The tip is offset circumferentially from the head approximately 5* to 10*. A similar head, springy neck and offset tip may be provided at the other end of the wrench. The wrench may be straight or L-shaped and have any number of sides greater than two.

United States Patent [191 Mezey 3,733,937 51 May 22, 1973 [54]NON-SLIPPING POLYGONAL WRENCH [76] Inventor: Frank G. J. Mezey, 115Monroe Drive, Centerport, NY.

[22] Filed: June 28, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 157,327

[52] US. Cl ..81/71, 8l/125.l [51] Int. Cl. ..B25b 13/48 [58] Field ofSearch ..81/71, 72,125, 57.38,

8l/l25.l, 177; 145/50 A, 50 D, 50 E; 287/58 CT, 53 R, 53 H, 53 SS, 103R, 126

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,286,749 11/1966 Learned..145/50 D Primary Examiner-Robert C. Riordon Assistant Examiner-JamesG. Smith AttorneyEdward H. Loveman [57] ABSTRACT 10 Claims, 11 DrawingFigures PATENTEU W 22 T3 733 .937

SHEET 1 [1F 2 FRANK G.J.MEZEY 1 NON-SLIPPING POLYGONAL WRENCH Thisinvention concerns wrenches of the type having a plurality of sides andused with bolts or set screws having sockets with a corresponding numberof sides as the wrench thereby capable of receiving the ends of thewrench.

A difficulty encountered with wrenches of the conventional and wellknown Allen type which have a hexagonal'sided head, is the tendency ofthe wrench to slip out of the socket head of a bolt or screw when thethreads of the bolt or screw are not engaged in a work piece and a forcesuch as gravity is acting on the bolt or screw. Analysis .of thissituation reveals that the cause is lack of any effective gripping forcebetween the smooth side walls of the socket and the smooth side walls ofthe wrench head. Proposals heretofore made for increasing the mutualgrip between socket and wrench have not proven successful or universallyapplicable. For example, one expedient has been to employ an adapterwhich grips the outside of the bolt head. This construction is notadaptable to use with headless set screws having polygonal sidedsockets, nor is it usable with bolts where inadequate space is availablearound the bolt heads for the adapters. Other expedients proposedinvolve forming the wrench heads with teeth, which is undesirable sincemutiliation of the socket walls occur.

The present invention solves the problem by providing gripping means forthe wrenchv head wherebythe head will remain engaged with a set screw orbolt while the screw or bolt is being inserted into a threaded hole.Thus the wrench can be used to hold the screw or bolt while it is beingbrought to the threaded hole, and can be further used to start turningthe screw or bolt in the threaded hole and finally can also serve totighten the screw.

The gripping means prevents accidental slippage of the wrench head outof its socket. After the screw or bolt is set in place the wrench issimply pulled loose out of the socket in which it is engaged. In reverseoperation while disengaging the set screw or bolt from a threaded hole,the wrench is again held in non-slip engagement with the socket, andafter the screw or bolt is fully disengaged from the threaded hole inwhich it was set, the wrench holds the screw or bolt until it is pulledoff the wrench.

According to the invention, the head of a wrench is provided with acircumferential groove defining a neck which is torsionally springy. Theneck terminates in a tip which has a positionv turned annularly slightlyfrom the head of the wrench. When the wrench head is inserted into asocket of a screw or bolt the'tip is turned while the neck is twistedcircumferentially. This provides a friction grip between the tip of thewrench and socket and between the head of the wrench and socket directedin opposite directions due to the torsional spring force exerted, bythetwisted neck. It is of course necessary to manufacturethe wrench orat least. the wrench head of spring steel to accomplish the'purposes' ofthe invention. The invention-is adapted'for use with polygonal wrenchesof any number of sides from three to 12 or more.

It is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a wrenchwith a head adapted to exert a friction grip with a socket undertorsional spring tension.

It is a further object to provide a polygonal wrench head with a tipjointed to the head by an integral springy neck, the tip being offsetcircumferentially slightly from the polygonal head.

These and other objects and many of the attendant advantages of thisinvention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a wrench embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary end view of the wrench taken alongline 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the wrench with a part broken away, and takenalong line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along lines 4-4 of FIG.1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along lines 55 of FIG.1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan view taken along line 6-6of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side view partially in crosssection of the headand tip of a wrench engaged in the socket of a bolt head;

FIG. 8 is a side view of another polygonal wrench embodying theinvention;

FIG. 9 is an end view of the wrench of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is another side view of the wrench, taken from the view of FIG.8 along lines 10-10 of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 11 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along line llll ofFIG. 8.

Referring, now to the drawings wherein like reference charactersdesignate like or corresponding parts throughout, there is illustratedin FIGS. 1-7, a wrench generally designated as reference numeral 20which is L-shaped in side view and is formed with flat, polygonal sides22. A head 24 of the wrench is formed with a circumferential groove 26defining a tapered round neck 28 integral with a polygonal tip 30. Thetip 30 is turned angularly on the center C of the head and given apermanent set which is counterclockwise with respect to the head 24, asbest shown in FIG. 6. The plane of the tip 30 is parallel to the endsurface 32 of the head 24 as clearly illustrated in FIG. 1. The wrenchhas a longer portion 34 which serves as a handle. It is possible to usethe wrench as a double headed one, with a shorter portion 36 serving asa handle. A head 38 will then be provided with a circumferential groove39' defining a springy neck 40 between an end surface 41 of the head 38and a polygonal tip 42. The tip 42 will also be given a permanent set bybeing turned angularly counterclockwise around axis C with respect tothe head 38 as best shown in FIG. 2. The angle of set of each of thetips 30 and.42 will preferably range from 5 to 10 with respect totheheads 24 and 38 respectively.

In operation of the wrench, either of the head 24 or 38 may be insertedinto a polygonal socket 43 of a screw or asbolt head 44. As shown inFIG. 7, first the tip 30' is inserted into the socket 43, the head 24isinserted and then the wrench is twisted from.5 tol0 to align the sidesof the'head 24 with the sides of the tip 30 and the sides of the socket43. Finally the head 24 is pushed axially into the socket 43. While thewrench is being twisted the bolt is held stationary. Thisimparts acircumferential torsional twist to the neck 28. The bolt can then bemanually released and will be held frictionally gripped by the wrenchhead and the twisted tip 30. The wrench tip 30 and the head 24 will bebiased in opposite directions due to the torsional spring tension intwisted neck 28. The bolt can then be inserted into a threaded holesupported by the wrench with wrench portion 34 used as a handle. Duringdriving of the bolt, the wrench head will remain in an antislipengagement along with the tip 30 in the socket 43.

In removing a bolt or screw from a screw hole, the wrench tip will firstbe inserted in the socket 43. Then the wrench will be turned 5 to andfinally the wrench head will be inserted into the socket of the bolt orscrew. Again the wrench and socket will be in antislip engagement duringloosening and removal of the bolt or screw. After the bolt or screw isfully loosened it will remain engaged with the wrench head untilforcefully removed. Thisis a highly advantageous feature when the boltor screw is being removed from a tight, narrow spaced position. Bothends of the wrench operate in the manner described above.

Instead of a hexagonal wrench as shown in FIGS. l7, the wrench may haveany desired number of sides, such as three, four, five, eight, 12, etc.FIGS. 8-10 show a polygonal wrench 20A having eight sides 50. Octagonaltips 52, 54 at opposite ends of a short and long portion 36', 34'respectively of the L-shaped wrench are twisted circumferentially withrespect to adjacent parallel heads 53, 55. Circumferential grooves 56,58 define springy necks 60, 62 with the tips 52 and 54 offset about 5 to10 circumferentially with respect to the heads 53, 55 respectively. Thetips are turned counterclockwise on axes C and C' with respect to theheads as clearly shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. In both the wrenches 20 and20A it is of course possible to fabricate the wrenches with a clockwisetwist to the wrench tips with respect to the wrench heads. This may bedesirable when the wrenches are specifically intended for use with boltsand screws having left hand threads. The wrenches may be'made of springsteel or any other material having springy properties, for the necks 28,40, 60, 62. The heads and tips may be of tool steel hardness for longwearing, durable, reliable operation.

The invention is adapted to wrenches of various sizes with individualwrenches made with heads of different sizes each provided with a twistedtip and torsion spring neck. The invention may also be used withstraight polygonal wrenches rather than L-shaped ones as shown in thedrawings, by similarly omitting the shorter arms of the wrenches.

Although the invention has been illustrated and described as being usedwith a conventional allen screw or polygonal sided figure, the inventionmay be used with any socket screw. as long as the wrench has sides or aconfiguration corresponding to that of the socket of a screw.

It should be understood that the foregoing relates to only a preferredembodiment of the invention, and that it is intended to cover allchanges and modificationsof the example of the invention herein chosenfor the purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departuresfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is:

1. A wrench comprising:

a body having a head means at one end,

a torsi'onally springy neck means integrally formed with said headmeansand extending axially from a free end of said head means,

a tip axially integral with said neck means, said tip having an externalform corresponding to that of said head means with said tipcircumferentially offset therefrom by a permanent angular twist aroundthe central axis of said head means.

2. A wrench as defined in claim 1 wherein said body,

and said tip have a polygonal sided shape.

3. A wrench as defined in claim 1 further comprising another head meansat the other end of said body another torsionally springy neck meansintegrally formed with said other head means and extending from a freeend of said other head means;

another tip axially integral with said other neck means, said tip havingan external form corresponding to that of said head means with said tipcircumferentially offset therefrom by a permanent angular twist aroundthe central axis of said other head means.

4. A wrench as defined in claim 3, wherein said body is L-shaped in sideview.

5. A wrench as defined in claim 1, wherein said head means, and said tiphave a number of straight sides ranging from three to twelve.

6. A wrench as defined in claim 3 wherein said head means and said tiphave a number of sides ranging from three to twelve.

7. A wrench as defined in claim 1, wherein said tip is twisted from 5 to10 with respect to said head means.

8. A wrench as defined in claim 3, wherein each tip is twisted from 5 to10 with respect to the respective head means.

9.v A wrench as defined in claim 1 wherein said neck means is defined bya circumferential groove between said head means and said tip.

10. A wrench as defined in claim 1 wherein said tip is twistedcounterclockwise from 5 to 10 with respect to said head means as viewedendwise.

1. A wrench comprising: a body having a head means at one end, atorsionally springy neck means integrally formed with said head meansand extending axially from a free end of said head means, a tip axiallyintegral with said neck means, said tip having an external formcorresponding to that of said head means with said tip circumferentiallyoffset therefrom by a permanent angular twist around the central axis ofsaid head means.
 2. A wrench as defined in claim 1 wherein said body,and said tip have a polygonal sided shape.
 3. A wrench as defined inclaim 1 further comprising another head means at the other end of saidbody another torsionally springy neck means integrally formed with saidother head means and extending from a free end of said other head means;another tip axially integral with said other neck means, said tip havingan external form corresponding to that of said head means with said tipcircumfeRentially offset therefrom by a permanent angular twist aroundthe central axis of said other head means.
 4. A wrench as defined inclaim 3, wherein said body is L-shaped in side view.
 5. A wrench asdefined in claim 1, wherein said head means, and said tip have a numberof straight sides ranging from three to twelve.
 6. A wrench as definedin claim 3 wherein said head means and said tip have a number of sidesranging from three to twelve.
 7. A wrench as defined in claim 1, whereinsaid tip is twisted from 5* to 10* with respect to said head means.
 8. Awrench as defined in claim 3, wherein each tip is twisted from 5* to 10*with respect to the respective head means.
 9. A wrench as defined inclaim 1 wherein said neck means is defined by a circumferential groovebetween said head means and said tip.
 10. A wrench as defined in claim 1wherein said tip is twisted counterclockwise from 5* to 10* with respectto said head means as viewed endwise.